edaWorkshop links up European nanoelectronic design and application competences

(Nanowerk News) The ICT sector has taken up the challenge of the moment and right now during this crisis period wants to set an example for future-oriented development. At the sixth edaWorkshop in Dresden experts from research establishments and industry in Europe will gather to exchange ideas on microelectronic solutions for new requirements e.g. pertaining to electric cars and other applications. This is what will be on the agenda when the chip design specialists from research and industry get together at the Dorint hotel in Dresden from 26th to 28th May 2009 for the 6th edaWorkshop (EDA = Electronic Design Automation). The edaWorkshop offers not only scientists but also developers and users a forum to present current problem solutions in chip design, to exchange ideas and go on to define further tasks.

For the first time at this important German EDA event the European research initiative CATRENE/MEDEA+ will also make an appearance as they are organizing their comparable event the "Design Technology Conference (DTC)" together with the edaWorkshop. "If we want to maintain our leading international position in design automation for nano-electronic systems, it is essential that, particularly in times of crisis, we link up European competences in design and application", says Professor Wolfgang Rosenstiel, General Chairman of the edaWorkshop and the CATRENE-DTC, explaining the move to include European specialists in the workshop. Within the "IKT 2020" research program the edacentrum in Hanover, on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), supports projects for the application-oriented design of complex applied systems and circuits.

After the welcoming speech by the sponsor's representative Helmut Bossy from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research the program includes amongst other things talks by the keynote speaker Giovanni De Micheli (Professor and Director of the Institute of Electrical Engineering and of the Integrated Systems Centre at EPF Lausanne, Switzerland) on the subject of "System-level design techniques for heterogeneous distributed systems". In his talk he will discuss innovations in design technology and circuit technology which are necessary to design heterogeneous, distributed systems. This type of system could, for example, be used by distributing it all over the body in the clothing in order to very easily monitor rehabilitation patients' state of health.

In his lecture on "Three-dimensional integration (of chips) for multimedia applications" Dominique Henoff (STMicroelectronics) is concerned above all with the perspective of designing complex systems. Here it is a question of the advantages of no longer producing chips which are stretched out horizontally but moreorless upright (piled up), which however means new challenges for the production technology and heat dissipation.

Klaus Revermann (Head of Body Electronics and Components at Volkswagen) will be talking on the subject: "Challenges in the automotive sector due to growing complexity, new processes and increasing safety and comfort requirements".

There will be a panel discussion with Peter van Staa (Bosch), Rudy Lauwereins (IMEC), Christian de Vries (NXP), Jochen Langheim (STMicroelectronics), and Prof. Bernd Ponick (Leibniz University Hanover) about the "ecosystem" of the future and, in particular, about constructing a European electric car, which in the eyes of the BMBF und the car manufacturers is an important project for the future, which should be encouraged and supported.

Parallel to the talks and discussions there will be an exhibition showing demonstrations and prototypes of current applications.

Scientists and users are invited to register by 18th May at the latest in order to enhance the edaWorkshop with their projects and to receive new impulses for their own work. Registration formalities and further information on www.edacentrum.de/edaworkshop